How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth,
just as the Father commanded.
2 John: 4
just as the Father commanded.
2 John: 4
In reading this passage from 2 John, I can easily put myself in the mindset of the original recipients. I can imagine few things that would bring me greater joy than to have someone send this report to me regarding the way my children had chosen to live their lives. I pray that one day in the future, one of you will be able to send that message to me.
As parents, we long to see evidence that the seeds of faith that we are sowing are taking root. We pray that the love of Christ that they see evidenced in our lives will one day be seen in theirs. And that the simple faith they profess as young people will be authentic and vibrant when they are older.
However, since many of us live in such a way that the only time we have between structured activities is filled with chores, when will our children learn the things of God? Are we simply "trusting them to the professionals" by assuming their spiritual foundation will come from Sunday School, Confirmation, Youth Group, or the various college ministries? And what of our adult children? Are we still teaching them, or now simply praying that some pastor somewhere might be able to help them to open up their hearts to Jesus?
We are to teach our children when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up so that one day someone will be able to tell us that they have found them to be living according to the truth. Might this be true of me.
Lord Jesus, little is more precious to us than the spiritual growth of our children and the children of our church. But Lord, do our actions show it? How many are struggling, like I am, to overcome the tyranny of the urgent in order to set time aside to focus on what is eternal? We give our children, our calendars and our misplaced priorities to You. Do a mighty work in us so that the way we spend our time will reflect what we claim to hold most dear. We lift up the children of our church who are grown and gone - may we hear of them that they are living according to the truth. Amen.
As parents, we long to see evidence that the seeds of faith that we are sowing are taking root. We pray that the love of Christ that they see evidenced in our lives will one day be seen in theirs. And that the simple faith they profess as young people will be authentic and vibrant when they are older.
However, since many of us live in such a way that the only time we have between structured activities is filled with chores, when will our children learn the things of God? Are we simply "trusting them to the professionals" by assuming their spiritual foundation will come from Sunday School, Confirmation, Youth Group, or the various college ministries? And what of our adult children? Are we still teaching them, or now simply praying that some pastor somewhere might be able to help them to open up their hearts to Jesus?
We are to teach our children when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up so that one day someone will be able to tell us that they have found them to be living according to the truth. Might this be true of me.
Lord Jesus, little is more precious to us than the spiritual growth of our children and the children of our church. But Lord, do our actions show it? How many are struggling, like I am, to overcome the tyranny of the urgent in order to set time aside to focus on what is eternal? We give our children, our calendars and our misplaced priorities to You. Do a mighty work in us so that the way we spend our time will reflect what we claim to hold most dear. We lift up the children of our church who are grown and gone - may we hear of them that they are living according to the truth. Amen.
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